WNJR (FM)

Last updated

WNJR
WNJR FM logo.jpg
Broadcast area Greater Pittsburgh
Frequency 91.7 MHz
Programming
Format Freeform
Ownership
Owner Washington and Jefferson College
History
Former call signs
  • WAJC (1961–1971)
  • WJCR (1971–1989)
  • WXJX (1989–2002)
Call sign meaning
Washington and Jefferson Radio
Technical information [1]
Licensing authority
 FCC
Facility ID 70942
Class A
ERP 400 watts
HAAT 123 meters (404 ft)
Transmitter coordinates
 40°10′13.00″N80°14′43.00″W / 40.1702778°N 80.2452778°W / 40.1702778; -80.2452778
Links
Public license information
Webcast Listen live
Website www.wnjr.org

WNJR (91.7 MHz) is a non-commercial FM radio station broadcasting a freeform radio format. [2] Licensed to Washington, Pennsylvania, it serves Greater Pittsburgh's Southwest suburbs. [3] The station is owned by Washington & Jefferson College. [4]

Contents

Station history

Washington & Jefferson's first student radio station, WAJC-AM, began broadcasting on October 8, 1961, from the second floor of the music building. The next year, the station received $200 in funding from the Student Council and upgraded its transmitter, but the signal could only be heard in Hays Hall, Mellon Hall, Upperclassmen Dorm, and many fraternity houses. In 1971, the college secured a license to broadcast as WJCR at 88.3 FM, upgraded to a 10-watt transmitter, and moved to the Old Gym. By the mid-1980s, the station's operations had deteriorated to the point where it no longer produced a transmission. New Federal Communications Commission regulations forced the station to upgrade to a signal strength of at least 100 watts to keep a non-commercial license. Unable to convince the college administrators to upgrade the transmitter, in 1989, a newly refurbished WXJX station was broadcasting at 92.1 FM from a new on-air studio and production booth, using the same 10-watt transmitter which was substantially repaired. For the first time, the signal could be heard beyond the campus, reaching as far as the Franklin Mall and the Washington Mall. [2]

Broadcast antenna atop the Washington Trust Building WNJR (FM) antenna location detail.jpg
Broadcast antenna atop the Washington Trust Building

In early 2000, the current studio was installed in The Commons and in 2003 a 1500-watt transmitter was installed at the Washington Trust Building, reaching roughly 30 miles in all directions. A change to a new classic rock format and a Simian [5] automated playout system enabled 24-hour broadcasting for the first time. At the same time, the station hired a full-time manager, changed its call sign to WNJR and the frequency to 91.7 MHz. Around 2007, ultimate control of the station was shifted to a member of the faculty, Anthony Fleury, and the role of station manager reverted to student control. [2] In 2007, new MegaSeg automation software aided a format shift to freeform music and the station joined the Pacifica Radio Network. [2]

WNJR has been listed as silent in the FCC database since October 30, 2018. [6] It returned to the air on October 15, 2019.

Format and programming

WNJR is licensed as a noncommercial educational station and operates as a co-curricular program of the W&J Department of Theatre and Communication. Assisted by a faculty advisor, the student-run studio broadcasts in a freeform format with several nationally syndicated programs, including Democracy Now!,Free Speech Radio News, and CounterSpin . The station also plays Pittsburgh-based independent programs including Rustbelt Radio and The Saturday Light Brigade . Student on-air personalities produce radio programs including music, news, talk, and sports. [2]

The WNJR Sports Broadcasting Crew produces live broadcasts from the College's athletic teams. [7] During the 2008 Democratic presidential primary elections, the sports crew produced live coverage for two political events on campus: a town hall meeting with Barack Obama [8] and a rally for Hillary Clinton featuring former President Bill Clinton. [9] In 2009, students in a theater workshop course performed a series of 1940s radio dramas, including the Lux Radio Theater version of The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer . [10]

Awards and recognition

At the 2008 Pittsburgh Achievement in Radio Awards, WNJR won four of six college radio awards, including the College Radio Sports Reporting or Play-by-Play Announcer or Host, College Radio On-Air Personality, College Radio Editorial and College Radio Station Website categories. [11]

The WNJR radio program, "The American Justice System: A Day in the Life of..." won a 2009 Community and Educational Outreach Award from the National Association of Bar Executives. The interview-based program, a joint production with the Washington County Bar Association, is hosted by two local attorneys who conduct interviews with legal professionals to discuss the justice system. [12]

In 2013, senior Erikka Loper was awarded the Excellence in Broadcasting Award by the Pennsylvania Association of Broadcasters for her weekly radio program Friend or Fraud. This was the college's first nominated program. [13]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KDVS</span> Radio station at the University of California, Davis

KDVS is an American student and community radio station based in Davis, California. Featuring a freeform programming format, the station is owned by Regents of the University of California. Broadcasting at 13,000 watts, it is one of the most powerful freeform university-based radio stations in the United States. With a good enough car radio the station can be heard as far east as Lake Tahoe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KVSC</span> Radio station at St. Cloud State University in St. Cloud, Minnesota

KVSC in Saint Cloud, Minnesota is part of Minnesota's Independent Public Radio network. It is operated by St. Cloud State University and broadcasts a freeform radio format. KVSC-FM is a non-commercial educational public broadcasting radio station that is a student-run college radio station and operates 365 days per year, nearly 24 hours a day.

Free-form, or free-form radio, is a radio station programming format in which the disc jockey is given wide or total control over what music to play, regardless of music genre or commercial interests. Freeform radio stands in contrast to most commercial radio stations, in which DJs have little or no influence over programming structure or playlists. In the United States, freeform DJs are still bound by Federal Communications Commission regulations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WCAL</span> Student-run college radio station serving PennWest California

WCAL is a student-run college radio station serving PennWest California and the surrounding area, including Washington, Fayette, Westmoreland, Greene, and Allegheny counties.It also streams online.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KTRU-LP</span> Radio station at Rice University in Houston

KTRU-LP is the college radio station of Rice University, a private university in south-central Houston, Texas, United States.

WMUC-FM is the student-run non-commercial radio station licensed to the University of Maryland in College Park, Maryland, broadcasting at 30 watts. It is a freeform radio station staffed entirely by UMD students and volunteers.

WGLS-FM, known as Rowan Radio, is a college radio station licensed to Rowan University. The studios are located in the College of Communication on the campus of Rowan University in Glassboro, New Jersey. WGLS-FM is Gloucester County's only FM radio station.

WCBN-FM is the student-run radio station of the University of Michigan. Its format is primarily freeform. It broadcasts at 88.3 MHz FM in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KWUR</span> Radio station at Washington University in St. Louis

KWUR is a college radio station in St. Louis, Missouri located at 90.3 MHz FM. KWUR was founded on July 4, 1976, at Washington University in St. Louis, and represents one of the last remaining independent and fully student-managed radio stations in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WJPA</span> Radio station in Washington, Pennsylvania

WJPA is a classic hits radio station simulcast on both the AM and FM bands. It serves Washington County, Pennsylvania, and can be heard in parts of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County. The stations, which are owned by Washington Broadcasting Company, operate at 1450 kHz with a transmitter power output of 1 kW-Unlimited on the AM band and at 95.3 MHz with an effective radiated power (ERP) of 2.15 kW on the FM band. Both stations are licensed to Washington, Pennsylvania.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WKHB (AM)</span> Radio station in Irwin, Pennsylvania, United States

WKHB is a commercial AM radio station licensed to Irwin, Pennsylvania, and serving Greater Pittsburgh. It is owned by Broadcast Communications, Inc., and it carries a brokered programming radio format. During the day, hosts pay the station for time on the air and may advertise their products or services during their shows. At night, WKHB plays oldies music.

WVCR-FM(88.3 The Saint) is a variety hits radio station located in Loudonville, New York, owned by Siena College, and primarily staffed by students from the college. The station broadcasts on 88.3 MHz at an effective radiated power of 2,800 watts from the Heldeberg Mountains in the Town of New Scotland. In addition to simulcast programming at www.wvcr.com, WVCR is perhaps the only non-commercial licensee to emulate the variety hits format made popular by the Jack FM approach in the Capital Region. The format is very popular in the region with a very diverse selection from classic 1960s hits to current hits of today—something of a 2,800 Watt iPod for Baby Boomers.

WBZC is a radio station licensed to Four Rivers Community Broadcasting Corporation in Pemberton, New Jersey, United States. At 10,000 watts, the station serves Burlington County, New Jersey, and the metro Philadelphia region. When it was a college radio station, it was one of the most powerful college radio stations in the country. WBZC's frequency allocation was made possible after The University of Pennsylvania's WXPN in Philadelphia moved from 88.9 FM to its present frequency of 88.5 FM in 1991. Previously owned by Rowan College at Burlington County, the station is now fully owned by Four Rivers Community Broadcasting Corporation airing a Christian radio format.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WCCS</span> American radio station

WCCS is a commercially licensed American radio station in Homer City, Pennsylvania, about 50 miles northeast of Pittsburgh and 25 miles northwest of Johnstown, Pennsylvania. WCCS broadcasts with a maximum daytime power output of 10,000 watts and 1,000 watts at night. The station operates with a four-tower directional antenna pattern and programs a daily format of news/talk, sports talk, and local news/sports reports.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WUVT-FM</span> Radio station in Blacksburg, Virginia

WUVT-FM is a non-commercial FM radio station in Blacksburg, Virginia, serving Montgomery County, Virginia. It is licensed to Virginia Tech and is operated by The Educational Media Company at Virginia Tech. WUVT-FM is largely student-run and broadcasts a free form radio format. The radio studios and offices are located in Squires Student Center.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WQSU</span> Radio station in Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania

WQSU is a non-commercial, college FM radio station that is licensed to serve Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania. The station is owned and operated by Susquehanna University and is staffed by students and faculty of the university as well as community volunteers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WANB</span> Radio station in Waynesburg, Pennsylvania

WANB is a Country formatted broadcast radio station licensed to Waynesburg, Pennsylvania, and serves southwestern Pennsylvania and portions of West Virginia and Ohio. WANB is owned and operated by Broadcast Communications, Inc.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WICB</span> Radio station in Ithaca, New York

WICB is a radio station licensed to serve Ithaca, New York, United States. Established in 1941 and receiving its FCC license in 1948, the station is owned by Ithaca College.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WLRA</span> Radio station broadcast by Lewis University, Lockport, Illinois

WLRA or sometimes called WLRA Radio, or WLRA-FM, is a college radio station broadcasting a variety format. Licensed to Lockport, Illinois, USA, the station serves the Chicago/greater Joliet region. The station is licensed to and owned by Lewis University. Lewis University is a private Roman Catholic and Lasallian university with an enrollment of around 6,800 students. The station is a member of the National Association of Broadcasters, Illinois Broadcasters Association, and Broadcast Education Association.

WLEJ is a classic country AM radio station broadcasting in State College, Pennsylvania, United States. It is owned by Kristin Cantrell's Seven Mountains Media, through licensee Southern Belle Media Family, LLC. Programming is also heard over FM translator W279DK, offering a signal on the FM band in the immediate State College area.

References

  1. ↑ "Facility Technical Data for WNJR". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "A recent history of radio at W&J". Washington & Jefferson College. Archived from the original on February 11, 2021. Retrieved July 23, 2010.
  3. ↑ "Predicted coverage area for WNJR 91.7 FM, Washington, PA". radio-locator.com. Theodric Technologies LLC. 2009.
  4. ↑ "W&J: WNJR". Washington & Jefferson College. Archived from the original on July 9, 2008. Retrieved July 23, 2010.
  5. ↑ Broadcast Software International. "Simian". BSI USA. Retrieved November 25, 2016.
  6. ↑ "Silent FM Broadcast Stations List". May 25, 2016.
  7. ↑ "WNJR Sports: About Us". WNJR Sports.
  8. ↑ "Obama Town Hall, 15 April 2008". WNJR Sports. April 22, 2008.
  9. ↑ "Clinton Rally at W&J, 11 March 2008". WNJR Sports. April 22, 2008.
  10. ↑ Hundt, Brad (February 26, 2009). "WNJR Live radio show". Observer-Reporter . Washington, Pennsylvania. Archived from the original on January 15, 2010. Retrieved July 1, 2009.
  11. ↑ McCoy, Adrian (November 19, 2008). "Radio talent honored with A.I.R. Awards". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette .
  12. ↑ "2009 LexisNexis Community and Educational Outreach Award Winners Honor Five State and Local Bar Associations" (PDF) (Press release). American Bar Association. 2009.
  13. ↑ "Senior Radio Host Recognized by Pennsylvania Association of Broadcasters". Washington & Jefferson College. April 16, 2013. Retrieved April 16, 2013.

Commons-logo.svg Media related to WNJR (FM) at Wikimedia Commons

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.